


Charmed 107: Absent Fathers, Part 1

by Metal_Ox137



Series: Charmed AU1 [7]
Category: Charmed (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 03:18:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4730891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sisters pay a visit to Paige's foster parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charmed 107: Absent Fathers, Part 1

It was a bleak, cold Sunday in the middle of January, and the city of San Francisco remained stubbornly swaddled in weak winter daylight and thin wisps of fog. The shortness of the day, the dank chill in the air and the reluctance of the sun to show itself all contributed to a desire, almost a need, for hibernation.  
Inside Prue Trudeau's modest apartment, Phoebe Halliwell sat at the kitchen table, staring out the two small windows that overlooked the fire escape. The view was anything but inspiring, but it was one of the few sources of natural light available, and it was far too cold to sit on the porch. At least in the kitchen, the heat of dinner slowly roasting in the oven lent an ambient warmth to the remainder of the small space. Phoebe wore a heavy sweatshirt and a pair of sweat pants under her bathrobe, and her feet were swaddled in a double layer of socks. Although it was now mid-afternoon, Phoebe still hadn't bothered getting dressed, and she reflected there was a good chance she might not even change into clothes in time for dinner.  
Phoebe was using the kitchen table to carefully transcribe another page in her Book of Shadows, a large, handbound book in which she was writing down not only all the Halliwell family history, but also all the spells and witchcraft she could remember. The original Book of Shadows was now lost, and Phoebe had taken it upon herself to become the chronicler of her family's history and the scribe of her coven. Any knowledge passed on to her daughters, her nieces, and their children, would now come through her.  
Today's task was copying the information that Prue had given her about their maternal grandmother. Penelope Halliwell had been, by all accounts, a formidable woman, and even without the gift of witchcraft, would have constituted a force of nature in her own right. As Phoebe worked, she kept Prue's only photo of her grandmother propped up at the table in front of her, to give her inspiration to do her grandmother justice.  
"Come on, Grams, help me out here," Phoebe pleaded, looking at the photograph. Penelope Halliwell smiled benignly at her granddaughter and said nothing. Phoebe sighed heavily.  
Deciding a warmer for her cup of tea was in order, Phoebe got up from the table. Before putting the kettle back on the stove, she peeked into the living room. On the couch, Phoebe's younger half-sister Paige and Prue's four-year-old daughter Patience had surrendered to the innate soporifery of winter, and were snuggled together under a large, heavy quilt, taking a nap that was threatening to consume most of the afternoon.  
Phoebe grinned as she watched her niece and sister sleeping soundly. She had only been introduced to them a few short months ago, but her newfound family was already written indelibly onto her heart, a source of great joy that Phoebe would scarcely have believed possible before now.  
Phoebe was, for all practical purposes, newly arrived in this reality. She had been taken by force from her own world by a demon bent on consuming her powers of witchcraft. The demon had brought them both to this version of San Francisco, a world where magic effectively no longer existed, and where Phoebe had been left stranded. Phoebe met an alternate version of her older sister Prue, who in this reality was six years older, widowed and the mother of Patience. Her middle sister Piper was now many years dead, and Phoebe's own counterpart had died in this reality.  
By any measure, such a turn of events should have been horrific. Yet Phoebe found herself feeling extraordinarily blessed. Although kidnapped from her own home, and marooned in an alternate reality, she had a found a new family that was a continual source of joy and comfort. She especially enjoyed a warmth and intimacy with her older sister Prue, which she had never experienced in her own place and time. And Paige, separated from her sisters at birth and raised by a foster family, had been delighted to find her birth family, and was only too happy to assume the role of baby sister.  
Phoebe smiled wistfully. Even before they knew they were family, Paige and Phoebe had quickly become inseparable. In this world, Phoebe was no longer the baby of the family. Now, she was the one who had a baby sister, who looked up to her, and counted on her to guide and direct her in the ways of magic. Phoebe was by turns delighted and terrified by the prospect.  
In this reality, Phoebe, Paige and Prue were now a reconstituted version of the Charmed Ones, a coven of witches with extraordinary magical powers. Demons and angels no longer existed in this world, and magic itself had become the rarest of commodities. Phoebe and her sisters were effectively the sole practitioners of magic in this version of San Francisco, giving them a unique position of authority and responsibility in the world.  
As if aware she was being watched, Paige stirred slightly. She did not open her eyes, but clearly she had wakened. Phoebe decided to leave her be, she and Patience would rise on their own soon enough. And Prue would be home soon. Prue and her fiancé Darryl had gone to church - not only to attend the Sunday service, but to meet with Pastor Williams afterwards, to arrange to hold their wedding services at the chapel in May. Since they were planning to stay late, they had asked Patience to stay home in the care of Auntie Paige, who was delighted to spend some bonding time with her niece.  
Phoebe returned to the kitchen and put the kettle on the burner. Maybe a piping hot cup of peppermint tea might coax Paige from her burrow on the couch. Then again, Phoebe grinned, maybe Paige and Patience would just sleep on the couch straight through to Monday morning.  
As soon as the pot of tea was ready, Prue and Darryl Morris came in.  
"Boy, doesn't that look like a good idea," Prue commented, seeing her daughter and sister napping on the couch. Her tone was almost envious.  
"Hey, guys," Phoebe greeted them, keeping her voice low in deference to the sleeping family members. "Want some tea? Just brewed."  
"That would be great, Phoebe, thanks," Prue answered, as she hung up her coat.  
"So, do you have a date?" Phoebe asked, as she got teacups from the pantry shelf.  
"We do." Prue's smile was brighter than the feeble winter sunlight. "Saturday, May 20th, 2 PM."  
"Sweet. Will Pastor Williams be conducting the ceremony?"  
"He said he couldn't possibly let anyone else handle it. Although, we do have a slight problem."  
"What's that?"  
"He also spoke at Piper and Phoebe's memorial service."  
"Ooh." Phoebe made a moue of embarrassment. "Well, in that case, we have two options, Prue - we either tell Pastor Williams that your sister Phoebe was in fact a pair of identical twins, or I have to use a glamour on your wedding day."  
"But Pastor Williams knows you guys are white witches, right?" Darryl asked. "I mean, I know you haven't told him yet about Phoebe and Paige, but he wouldn't chase you out of the chapel or anything... would he?"  
Prue shrugged. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "It's one thing to be told someone's come back from the dead. It's another thing to actually see it."  
"Well, we have time to figure something out," Phoebe assured them. "But I guess I would lean towards the simplest explanation: I look like your Phoebe, but I'm not her."  
"Yeah, I guess I'm not interested in trying to remember a cover story for you," Prue agreed, and added dryly, "The real story is incredulous enough."  
"You've been trying to get me to go to church with you guys for weeks," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's time I went. If nothing else, you can introduce me to Pastor Williams before the wedding. So any freakouts don't occur on your special day."  
"I don't think he'll freak out," Prue replied, unable to stop herself from laughing. "But boy, will he do a double take."  
The soft peals of laughter were enough to stir Patience, and she quickly wriggled free from her place on the couch to go rushing into her mother's arms.  
"Can we go to the park?" she pleaded.  
"She's been napping most of the afternoon," Phoebe felt constrained to point out.  
Prue and Darryl exchanged glances.  
"If we don't take her now, she'll be bouncing off the walls all night," Darryl noted.  
"Yeah," Prue agreed, and smiled at Phoebe. "Tell you what. Keep that tea warm for us. We'll be back later. You're not dressed, and I don't think Auntie Paige is awake enough for the job."  
A soft moan was heard from the living room. Paige had raised herself up on one elbow, and was staring insensibly into the kitchen through sleep-swollen eyes.  
"I'll take care of the invalid," Phoebe promised with a grin.  
"Can you put the veggies on in about forty minutes?"  
"Sure."  
"Okay, little Miss Impatience, you win," Prue informed her daughter. "Go to the bathroom first. Do you remember what you need next?"  
"Coat, hat, mittens, boots!" Patience crowed triumphantly.  
"Off you go, then."  
The child scurried away.  
"Don't forget to wash your hands," Prue called after her.  
"All right, Darryl," Prue gave her fiancé a resigned smile. "I guess we need to get our coats back on."  
A petulant, ill-tempered groan floated out of the living room.  
"Was that Paige?" Prue frowned.  
"Yup," Phoebe nodded. "Little Miss Broken Back is stirring. You guys go take turns on the swings and slides. I got this." She got up from the table. "Oh, and by the way," she kissed first Prue, then Darryl, on the cheek as she passed. "Congratulations, you guys. I can't wait for your wedding day!"  
Phoebe padded into the living room with an extra cup of tea and set it on the end table. She leaned over the couch.  
"Are you thinking you're gonna get up in a few minutes?" she asked, grinning mischievously. "Or should I just go find a shovel and bury you now?"  
"Bite me," Paige murmured sourly, without opening her eyes.  
Still grinning, Phoebe walked around to the front of the couch, and carefully settled herself in at the end cushion. A few moments later, Prue, Darryl and Patience filed out, Patience stopping long enough to hug Phoebe and place a kiss on Paige's cheek before skipping out the door.  
Once they were alone, Phoebe slipped one free hand under the quilt, placed her palm on the small of Paige's back and began pressing gently on her spine, just above her buttocks. Paige made a soft, appreciative moan.  
"You have no idea how much that helps," she sighed. "I can't let just anyone grab me like that."  
"Mmm. Well, I'm pretty sure I won't do as thorough a job as Henry would," Phoebe grinned. "But I think I can give you enough PT so you can get up off the couch without crutches. What happened to you, anyway?"  
"Car crash, about four years ago," Paige winced slightly as Phoebe began to widen the circles on Paige's back, pressing gently at intervals.  
"Ouch. That sounds awful," Phoebe muttered sympathetically.  
"I was lucky - or so everyone keeps telling me. Pinched some vertebrae in my lower back. I don't know how lucky having a compressed spine is, but I walked away from the wreck. I guess that's something."  
"It's always better to move under your own power," Phoebe agreed.  
"I'm not a cripple or anything, but my back really stiffens up on me when I sleep. Especially when it gets cold, like today. Usually, between my yoga and Henry giving me a back massage, I can manage."  
"Too bad you can't use your healing powers on yourself," Phoebe observed.  
"I think that would violate the rule of personal gain. You guys are still planning to go with me to Carmel next weekend, right?" Paige asked, wanting to change the subject.  
"I can't wait," Phoebe declared. "You told your mom and dad you're a witch?"  
"Yeah," Paige admitted.  
"How'd that go?"  
"They said they weren't surprised."  
Phoebe laughed heartily. "Well, at least they didn't disown you, right?"  
With a grunt, Paige sat up so she could talk face to face with her sister. "Thanks. That really helped," she admitted. "So, did I hear Prue saying she and Darryl set a date?"  
"Yup," Phoebe nodded with a smile. "May 20. And you and I, baby sister of mine, we get to be bridesmaids."  
"Sweet!"  
"I know, I can hardly wait." Phoebe's grin faded slightly. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Seriously."  
"Shoot."  
"A few weeks ago, you mentioned you might be willing to share an apartment with me. Was that on the level?"  
"Are you kidding? I would love to share a place with you." Paige noted the look on her sister's face. "Why? What are you thinking?"  
"Well, Prue's getting married, and she and Darryl are trying to have a baby . . ."  
"Oh, I get it," Paige nodded. "This place is too small for them as it is."  
Phoebe sighed. "I know Prue would never ask me to leave, but the truth is, Darryl will be moving in here, and at least for the time being, this is going to be home for the Morris family."  
"And no matter how much they love the auntie, there's no room for her," Paige added, connecting the dots.  
"Yeah. And I thought if you were serious about sharing a place . . ."  
"Consider it done. I can't wait to have you all to myself," Paige declared. "When can we go choose a place? Can we do it now?"  
Phoebe burst out laughing and gave her sister a fierce hug. "Paige, I don't know what I'd do without you."  
"That's easy," Paige quipped. "You'd wail and gnash your teeth and rend your garments. All that Old Testament lamentation type stuff."  
The sisters fell into a fit of giggles, and Paige snuggled up against her sister.  
"You remember a while ago, I said I wanted to talk to you about something important," she said, her voice turning somber.  
"Sure."  
"I think now would probably be a good time to tell you."  
"I'm all ears."  
"It's witchy stuff," Paige cautioned.  
"I think I'm up for witchy stuff," Phoebe declared solemnly.  
"Okay then. Here goes." Paige let out a deep sigh. "I think I always kinda knew I had some sort of witchy connection, even when I was little," she admitted finally. "But... I had a real bad experience when I was fifteen that more or less steered me away from the craft."  
Phoebe frowned but said nothing.  
"I was always kinda the weird kid in school," Paige began. "I was funny looking, at least all the kids said I was, and I was one of the only white kids in that neighborhood. And short, of course." She made a face. "Some of the girls took to really picking on me. They thought I was a good target, I guess. Small and defenseless." Paige pulled the quilt up over both of them, partly wanting the warmth, partly from displacement activity.  
"Anyway, I got to a point I really felt I couldn't take it any more. I had to do something. But there was no chance of me actually getting into a fight with any of these girls, they would have wiped the floor with me. So I went to the local library, and believe it or not, I found a book of witchcraft - like I had been guided to it."  
"Really."  
"Honest. And to this day, I don't remember the title of the book, or the author, or any detail about it really - but - there was one spell in there which I remember by heart. A curse spell. And I got it into my head that I was going to curse these little monsters out of my life."  
Paige shifted uncomfortably, but not from any stiffness in her back. "The spell involved cutting a lemon into quarters, and reciting a verse with each cut. I guess it would qualify as a black magic spell, because it was all about inflicting pain on someone. I was young and stupid. Casting the spell wasn't about self-defense. I was just looking to even a score."  
Paige looked pleadingly at her sister, but Phoebe was not judging, simply listening. Paige continued.  
"One night, when my folks were asleep, I went into the kitchen, got a lemon from the fruit bowl and cast the spell." She paused. "And the next morning, I went to school, and the girl who was giving me the most grief wasn't there. All the kids were talking about the drug overdose she'd had the night before - and she'd had it at almost exactly the same moment I was casting the spell."  
Paige shuddered involuntarily, remembering. "As I got older, I told myself it was coincidence, and that I couldn't have possibly affected the outcome of anyone's life in that way. I was fifteen, for God's sake. But at the time, it creeped me out. I really thought I'd killed this girl. I thought I was guilty of murder."  
"The girl died?"  
"She did. And the weird thing was, in the school, it made her more popular than ever. All the kids thought it was so cool. I just didn't understand it at all. One of their friends was dead, and they thought it was the greatest thing - not that she was dead, but because she was badass enough to do hard drugs. And I just thought to myself, 'You people are all morons. You all deserve to die.' But no one else seemed to feel any differently. Certainly none of the adults at the school were doing anything to stop it - not seriously, anyway. Or at least, that's what I thought at the time. And that was the point where I realized, I either had to shave my head and become a complete hermit, or start doing drugs like the rest of these idiots. Otherwise no one would ever speak to me again."  
"Oh, my God, Paige," Phoebe murmured, shocked.  
"Thus began my downward spiral. Pride isn't the only thing that goeth before the fall." Paige let out a heavy sigh and looked at Phoebe pleadingly. "I've never told this to anyone, ever," she confessed. "Absolutely true story. You're the only one who knows."  
Impulsively, Phoebe hugged her sister tightly.  
"You wanted to know why I wasn't practicing my powers when I'm not with you guys," Paige said, her voice shaking. "This is why."  
"Oh, Paige."  
"When I'm with you or Prue, it's fine. I know you'll look out for me and keep me on the narrow path. But when I'm by myself . . . Phoebe, honestly, I'm not good enough or smart enough to be trusted with a gift like this."  
"You are not a bad person, Paige," Phoebe declared solemnly, and as Paige sighed disconsolately, Phoebe added, "No, sweetie, I mean it. I see the work you do at the social services office every day. All you care about is helping people. You are one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever met. There isn't a nasty bone in your body."  
"That still doesn't change what happened."  
"The past is what it is, Paige. As you said, you were fifteen. And remember, you're not just any witch, you're a Charmed One. And there's just no way you could be Charmed, and also be guilty of a crime like that."  
Paige burrowed deeper into her sister's arms. "It's just, I know it happened so long ago, but I still can't stop thinking about it. Especially now, because now I know I'm a real witch."  
"That just means you have a conscience. That's a good thing."  
"I hope so," Paige shuddered again.  
Phoebe kissed her sister's forehead. "Trust me. You're not on the side of the demons."  
"Yeah, but I'm no angel, either," Paige objected.  
"No one says you have to be."  
"But what if I really killed her?"  
"No way," Phoebe declared. "Not possible."  
"Really?" Paige looked into her sister's eyes, tears welling in her own.  
"Really," Phoebe assured her. "You're talking to the sister with the gift of prophecy, remember? If you really had done anything truly evil, trust me, I'd know."  
Paige put her head back down on Phoebe's breast and sighed mournfully. Phoebe stroked her sister's dark hair and rocked her gently.  
They remained locked in embrace until Prue, Darryl and Patience returned.  
Seeing her sisters hugging each other tightly, Prue asked, "Everything all right?"  
"Everything's fine," Phoebe assured her with a smile. "My baby sister and I were having a little heart to heart."  
"Uh huh. And did you remember to put the veggies on, like I asked?"  
"Oh, crap!" Phoebe blurted out in dismay.  
"It's all right, it's fine," Prue assured her, putting one hand on Phoebe's shoulder and gently pushing her back down on the couch. "I'll get it. Looks to me like you're doing the really important work today."  
Prue and Darryl shrugged themselves out of their coats, and Darryl helped Patience take off her coat and boots. Patience clambered up into Paige's lap and snuggled against her.  
"Don't be sad, Auntie Paige," she declared. "I don't want you to be sad."  
"Oh, sweetie." Paige took the child into her arms and hugged her. "How could I ever be sad, when I have a beautiful niece like you?"  
"Will you read me a story?"  
"I think we have time for a quick one, before dinner," Phoebe suggested.  
Patience scrambled away and returned in a few moments with a large picture book.  
"The Owl And The Pussycat," Paige read the title. "Ooh, great choice. That's one of my favorites."  
"Don't go, Auntie Phoebe," Patience ordered. "You can listen too."  
Phoebe gave her niece a bright smile. "Tell you what. I'll scoot over, you can sit between me and Auntie Paige, and she can read to you, all right?"  
Patience joyfully wormed her way in between her two aunties. Paige opened the book on Patience's lap so they all could see, and she began to read.  
"The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea, in a beautiful pea-green boat . . ."  
As Paige read the poem aloud, Phoebe could sense her sister's spirits lifting. The healing had begun. She settled back, snuggled against her niece and her sister, feeling a profound sense of happiness and well-being.  
When the poem reached its end, the two sisters and their niece remained snuggled together in companionable silence, happily cocooned in a spell of joy and contentment.  
"Phoebe," Prue called from the kitchen. "When you're done in there, can you please put Grams and the Book of Shadows away? I need to set the table."  
"Be right there." Phoebe pecked her sister on the cheek. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered in Paige's ear. "We'll talk more later. For now, let the record show, you have my vote of confidence."  
Phoebe stood up and stretched. Paige looked up her, smiling, eyes tear-bright. "Thanks for listening, Phoebe."  
Phoebe grinned. "Hey, that's what sisters are for." She deliberately lightened her tone. "Okay, you two, up and at 'em," she exhorted. "Time to go put some hot dinner on the table! And do the magic trick where we make it all disappear!"  
"Now, that's one magic trick I can do," Paige said, laughing, her somber mood at last dispelled. 

* * * 

The following Saturday, the sisters clambered into Prue's SUV, and began the morning-long drive to Carmel. Patience was left with Darryl for the day, and Prue opted to give the car keys to Phoebe and stretch out on the row of passenger seats for a quick nap.  
The air was still bitterly cold, but the sky was clear and the sun shone down brightly, and Phoebe felt more at home at that moment than she had ever felt anywhere.  
"So, did you practice any magic last night?" she asked her baby sister.  
"I did," Paige said proudly. "I made spaghetti without using my hands once. Well, maybe once or twice," she confessed with a smile. "But mostly, just my power."  
"Great!" Phoebe exclaimed.  
"I'm not sure what's been weirder for Henry - that I'm using magic, or that I was actually trying to cook," Paige giggled.  
"It takes some getting used to," Phoebe agreed with a laugh. "So, the suggestions Prue gave you are helping?"  
"They're helping a lot," Paige admitted. "I wish I could sit with her every night. Get the master class in witchery. She's a great teacher."  
"She's great at everything," Phoebe declared.  
"Is it really true, she knocked down all the shelves in a drugstore with her power?"  
"Oh, so that happened here too?" Phoebe grinned. "Yeah, that was pretty wild. It was like the whole store exploded. Every shelf came crashing down, and there was stuff flying everywhere. That was probably my fault."  
"Your fault?"  
Phoebe made a face. "Well, the other me, anyway."  
"What happened?"  
"Well, if it happened here like it happened in my world, I had just come back from New York, and Prue and I were not getting along at all. I was really trying to push her buttons. I don't even remember where we were going, but Prue had a headache, so we had stopped off at a drugstore to get some aspirin. I was - well, I was being a bitch, basically, mostly taunting her about our dad, and Prue lost her temper and started yelling at me. The next thing we knew, BOOM! We were ankle deep in toiletries."  
"Wow," Paige marveled.  
"Yeah."  
"And if I lose my temper, I could do that?" Paige worried.  
"Well, the trick is, practice your power now, get control over it, so if you ever do lose your temper, you won't be sitting in the middle of a disaster area."  
"It's hard to imagine Prue losing control of anything," Paige sighed.  
"Trust me, this Prue is nothing like the control freak my other Prue is."  
"Even so, she'd be so much better at this than I would."  
"Paige, you have to understand, our sister is better than everybody, at everything," Phoebe said. "Even without magic. Have you ever been to her office?"  
"Not yet."  
"She's got, like, four bachelor degrees and two masters diplomas hanging on the walls. I'm not even joking. She can speak six languages - fluently. Art, music and history are her passions, but she could have been a scientist if she wanted - or a college professor," she added.  
"Damn."  
"At least this Prue doesn't try to be perfect all the time. She's a lot easier to get along with," Phoebe admitted.  
"Sounds like your other Prue wasn't very nice."  
"It wasn't that so much," Phoebe frowned. "She was just . . . uptight. Judgmental. And angry, all the time. It was all I could do, not to want to trip her up constantly." She sighed. "But I created a lot of my own problem, I think. Prue was always there for me. I just never saw it." Her voice turned sorrowful.  
"But now it's different?"  
Phoebe sighed deeply. "I guess, in this world, the other me went over to the 'Dark Side'," she said somberly. "And she - the other Phoebe - killed Prue's husband, and our sister Piper, and Piper's husband, and a bunch of other people. And Prue was forced to kill her in self-defense."  
"Jesus," Paige shuddered.  
"And you know what Prue did, when she saw me?" Phoebe continued. "She took me to her home, fed me, clothed me, gave me a place to stay, and in the morning she hugged me and said how happy she was to see me. And she's been like that ever since." Phoebe still could only marvel, shaking her head slightly.  
"I think she misses her sisters a lot," Paige said quietly.  
"I think she's decided we are her sisters," Phoebe said, casting a furtive glance in the rear view mirror, to make sure Prue was still asleep. She was dozing peacefully.  
"I don't know if it's the same for you, but she never gets after me for anything. And I can talk to her about anything. I can even tease her, I could never do that before. She's . . ." Phoebe hesitated. "I don't know, we're in a really great place together. It's like what I always wanted my relationship with my big sister to be. I feel loved. And wanted. And needed. It takes my breath away, every day."  
"Careful, you're glowing," Paige cautioned with a sly grin.  
"Yeah. Sorry," Phoebe laughed.  
"Well, at least you guys have a history together. I'm still getting to know her. But I feel the same. She's all I could ever have hoped for in a big sister. Both of you are," she added shyly.  
Phoebe started giggling.  
"What's funny?" Paige wanted to know.  
"It's just - we are so completely failing at the whole sister thing," Phoebe laughed. "We're not fighting, we're not stealing boyfriends, or each other's clothes, there's no sibling rivalry at all."  
"Do you miss your sisters?" Paige asked.  
Phoebe's face clouded over.  
"Phoebe, I'm sorry," Paige said contritely. "I didn't mean -"  
"No, it's okay," Phoebe assured her, and took a deep breath to clear her malaise. "Yeah. I do. I miss them. A lot. And being here with you guys makes me wish I had treated them a lot better than I did."  
Paige reached over and put a hand on Phoebe's leg and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry you can't be with them," she said quietly. "But I'm not sorry you're here."  
Without taking her eyes off the road, Phoebe reached down with one hand and squeezed her sister's hand in return. "I'm not sorry, either," she confided. "You and Prue and Patience, and Darryl and Henry - you guys are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Ever," Phoebe repeated for emphasis.  
Paige digested that in silence for a moment, and then replied, "Wow. Well, I'll do my best not to get a swelled head."  
Phoebe dissolved into a fit of giggling, and Paige joined in. The laughter was enough to wake Prue, who stretched out as much as the space in the car would allow, then sat up.  
"Where are we?" Prue asked, blinking the sleep from her eyes.  
"About forty minutes more, before we get to my folks," Paige reported. "Have a nice nap?"  
"Wonderful," Prue declared. "When you guys have kids, you'll learn - sleep is more precious than gold."  
"We were just talking about the really kinky sex with have with our boyfriends," Paige declared solemnly, and then she and Phoebe made a heroic attempt to suppress another fit of laughter.  
"Do you and Darryl get kinky, Prue?"  
Prue's smile indicated she knew she was being baited. "Paige, I'm trying to get pregnant. Kinky isn't on the roadmap," she laughed. "Right now, when it comes to sex, Darryl and I are as traditional as it gets."  
"Borrrrrring," Phoebe declared.  
"Tragic," Paige added.  
"A sex life with no passion," Phoebe tutted mournfully.  
"I didn't say there was no passion," Prue grinned, her eyes twinkling. "Just not a lot of kink."  
"So you never do anything kinky at all?" Paige's question was only half joking.  
"I always seem to manage to have sex on a first date," Prue offered. "I'm not sure how kinky that is."  
"No imagination in bed, but she cuts right to the chase," Phoebe groaned in mock dismay.  
"No self-control at all," Paige sighed.  
"Or maybe I don't believe in wasting time," Prue grinned.  
"You were probably a pregnant bride."  
"As a matter of fact, I was," Prue said proudly. "I was four months pregnant with Patience when I walked down the aisle with Andy."  
"Really? Is that true?" Phoebe asked.  
"I felt like a goddess that day," Prue sighed wistfully, and then laughed merrily. "But I probably looked like an aircraft carrier."  
"Well, I guess you won't be repeating that mistake," Paige declared.  
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Prue assured her. "Nothing would please me more than to walk down the aisle carrying Darryl's child. And be far enough along that it would be obvious to everyone. I totally get such a buzz off being a pregnant bride."  
Paige collapsed into laughter. "Okay, Pheeble, you win," she gasped finally. "We're not going to put any shame onto our big sister today."  
"Prue, you're really serious, aren't you?" Phoebe asked. "About the whole pregnant bride thing."  
"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," Prue affirmed. "Darryl and I are taking our baby-making sessions very seriously right now."  
Paige burst into another fit of helpless laughter. "I'm sorry," she pleaded between gasps. "I'm not trying to be mean."  
"Your turn's coming, baby sister," Prue grinned. "And I can't wait."  
The traffic remained light on the freeway all the way to Carmel, so the sisters found themselves pulling into Paige's neighborhood a good hour before they had planned. Paige helped guide Phoebe through the maze of streets, and Phoebe laughed, "Paige, you're better than a GPS."  
"A G.P. what?" Paige asked in bewilderment.  
"GP - oh," Phoebe sighed. "Global Positioning System. Sorry. One more thing you guys don't have."  
"This is another one of those miracle techie things from Planet Pheeble?" Paige needled.  
"Yeah, yeah, never mind," Phoebe sighed, and then grinned. "Where to next?"  
"Take the next right. My parents live in the second house on the left."  
The neighborhood they had entered was an older one, but well kept, with smallish houses that resembled cottages. Paige began to fidget in anticipation.  
As they pulled up to the house, Phoebe and Prue could see that the garage door was open, and a handsome older man with greying hair who appeared to be in his late fifties, dressed in jeans, golf shirt and light grey windbreaker jacket, was busy polishing a small blue sedan with a chamois cloth. His face broke into a wide smile as he saw Paige.  
Paige squealed with delight, and Phoebe had barely put the car into park before Paige had undone her safety belt, and bolted from the vehicle, throwing herself into the man's arms.  
"Daddy!" she cried joyfully, hugging him tightly, and the older man laughed heartily, returning the embrace.  
Phoebe and Prue exchanged apprehensive glances.  
"So, ready to meet the in-laws?" Phoebe cracked.  
"I suppose it would be rude of us to just sit in the car all afternoon," Prue grinned, undoing her safety belt. "Come on, Phoebe, let's go meet Mr. and Mrs. Matthews."  
Phoebe shut down the SUV, and she and Prue got out. Mr. Matthews looked up as the women exited the car.  
"Oh, boy," Paige murmured, slipping from her foster father's embrace as her sisters walked up. "This is where it gets really weird. Dad, I'd like you to meet my, uhh, sisters. This is Phoebe, and this is Prue. Phoebe, Prue, this is my dad."  
Phoebe stepped forward and gave the man an exuberant hug. "Hi. I'm Phoebe Halliwell. It's so nice to finally meet you!"  
"Ben Matthews," the man introduced himself, returning the hug.  
"Prudence Trudeau," Prue said in her turn, offering a hug that was more restrained, but had no less warmth.  
"My goodness," Ben Matthews marveled, shaking his head, positively beaming as he looked over his daughter's siblings. He was clearly taken aback. "Paige has done nothing but talk about the two of you for weeks. Now I can see why." Trying to recover himself, he added, "Please, please, come inside, meet the wife."  
He guided them to the short sidewalk leading to the front door.  
Paige opened the door and rushed inside.  
"Please, go in," Ben urged Prue and Phoebe, and the sisters followed.  
They found themselves in a small but beautifully furnished living room, with a small loveseat, two reclining chairs and modest television set. Small paintings and framed photographs festooned the walls. The smell of baking chocolate chip cookies pervaded the room and was immediately irresistible.  
"Oh, I like it here," Phoebe declared with a grin.  
Joyful laughter could be heard in one of the rooms beyond. "They're both back in the kitchen," Ben Matthews waved them through. "Go on ahead. I'll close up the garage and be right with you."  
Phoebe and Prue stepped through the entryway and into a small but brightly lit kitchen, with large patio windows overlooking a modest backyard with thick, green grass. Paige was clutching tightly at a sturdy middle-aged woman who was wearing a full length apron over her clothes. She looked up as her sisters entered.  
"Mom, I want you to meet Phoebe, and Prue, my sisters," she said, a little breathlessly.  
"Eudora Matthews," the woman smiled warmly, as she hugged first Phoebe, then Prue. "Oh, my, this is a blessed day to be sure."  
"Thanks for having us," Phoebe declared, kissing Eudora on the cheek as she hugged her.  
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Prue seconded.  
"My, my," Eudora Matthews smiled, looking at them both. "Forgive me, dears, I don't mean to stare. Benjamin and I never thought we'd live to see this day. We really had no idea that Paige had any birth family."  
"We didn't know, either," Prue admitted.  
Ben returned from the garage. "Ladies, please, let me take your coats," he offered.  
The next few moments were a jumble, as the three sisters shrugged themselves out of their coats, and Ben hung them up in a nearby closet. Paige brought a straight backed chair from the kitchen into the living room, and Eudora bade them to sit and make themselves comfortable.  
"I'm afraid you caught me off guard," she smiled. "The cookies aren't quite done yet."  
"Sorry about that, mom," Paige answered. "We had no traffic on the freeway at all. We just breezed right through."  
"The cookies smell wonderful," Phoebe declared.  
"Well, I'll put some coffee on, and we can have brunch in a few minutes, if you like."  
"That would be lovely, Mrs. Matthews, thank you," Prue said sincerely.  
"Please call me Eudora, dear."  
"Eudora," Prue smiled warmly.  
"And call me Ben," Mr. Matthews added. "Or, if you like, dad. As far as Eudie and I are concerned, you're part of the family now."  
"Thank you," Prue said softly, touched by the gesture.  
They settled themselves into chairs; Ben took one recliner, which was clearly his, and Phoebe graciously took the straight back chair, so that Prue could have the other recliner, and Paige could share the loveseat with her mother.  
"I told them about your - our - mom and dad," Paige confessed shyly, as she sat down.  
"There's so much we'd like to ask you," Ben nodded. "But, please, if there's anything you feel uncomfortable about, say so. I know this has the potential to be . . . awkward."  
"Ask away," Phoebe declared, who was least likely to feel awkward about anything.  
Ben smiled gratefully, and Eudora returned from the kitchen, where the gurgle of a coffee pot combined with the aroma of baking cookies. She settled in next to Paige, who snuggled against her in great contentment. Phoebe felt like she was swimming in a bubble of pure joy.  
"So, if we understand correctly, you girls and Paige all share the same birth mother?"  
"That's right," Prue nodded. "Her name was Patricia Halliwell."  
"Here, mom, I brought a picture," Paige said excitedly, reaching down and digging into her oversize purse. She brought out the frame, carefully wrapped in a large towel to protect it from damage. She unwrapped the photo and handed it to her foster mother, who fastened her spectacles so she could look at the image.  
"Oh, my. She was a real beauty," Eudora said approvingly.  
"Yeah, she was," Phoebe said, with a hint of sadness in her voice.  
After Eudora had carefully examined the photo, she returned it to Paige, who in turn passed it to her foster father.  
Ben looked over the photo admiringly. "But you girls don't have the same father?" he asked, and it was clear from his tone he was worried that the question might be indelicate.  
"No, we don't," Prue shook her head. "Phoebe and I share the same father. His name is Victor Bennett. I'm afraid we don't know the identity of Paige's father."  
"And is Victor still alive?"  
"As far as I know," Prue said guardedly. Even after all these years, his absence was a sore point with Prue.  
"We don't know where he is," Phoebe admitted. "He walked out on the family when we were all just kids. We've only seen him once as adults. He didn't seem interested in picking up the relationship."  
"I'm truly sorry," Ben Matthews said quietly, and noting Prue's reaction, he added, "Please forgive me if that question hurt you."  
"It's okay," Phoebe assured him. "I mean, we're not happy about it, but we live with it."  
"Yes, it's all right - Ben," Prue added, after a moment's hesitation. "We're here to learn about each other's families. Please ask whatever you like."  
"We didn't know that our mom was seeing anyone else," Phoebe offered. "As far as Prue and I ever knew, there were only the three of us."  
Eudora frowned in puzzlement, so Paige added, "Yeah, I have another sister, mom. Her name's Piper. She . . . she died three years ago. Prue, and Phoebe, and Piper were all raised together."  
"We really had no idea we had another sister," Phoebe added. "It was a complete shock to us."  
"And you girls met at Paige's office?" Ben asked.  
"Yep, believe it or not, Paige and I worked together side by side for weeks, without having any idea we were related."  
"I could feel something, though," Paige insisted to Phoebe. "I mean, I had no idea you were my sister, but we just - clicked - right away."  
"That's true," Phoebe grinned. "I was really feeling very . . . alone . . . when I got back to San Francisco, but then I met Paige, and I just felt that this was where I was meant to be."  
"And where were you before that, dear?" Eudora asked.  
"Oh, ahh, New York." Phoebe understood that wasn't a lie, but decided to skip over the alternate reality segment for a first meeting with Paige's foster family. "I followed a boy there. And came back alone," she admitted with chagrin.  
"His loss," Eudora Matthews declared with a contempting sniff, and Phoebe grinned, taking a liking to the woman instantly.  
"We were all born and raised in San Francisco," Prue added, warming to the subject a little, "We lived in my grandmother's house, with our grams, our mom, and me and Phoebe and Piper."  
"Mom died when we were very young," Phoebe explained. "I was only three when she passed."  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear. She must have been terribly young. Can I ask how she died?"  
"She . . . drowned," Phoebe allowed, and Prue bit her lip, anguished.  
"Oh, my dears, I'm so sorry," Eudora clearly felt she had crossed a line.  
Prue had to draw in a breath to compose herself. "It's all right, Eudora. It was a long time ago," she said, her voice taut.  
"Not so long for you, I think," Eudora said quietly. "Please, sit for a bit. Coffee and the first batch of cookies should be just about ready."  
"Let me help you," Phoebe offered, getting up.  
"If you like, dear, thank you," Eudora smiled warmly at Phoebe, and they left together.  
Paige looked over at her sister. "You okay?" she asked, worried.  
Prue forced herself to smile. "Yeah," she sighed deeply, letting go of old grief with an effort. "Yeah, Paige, I'm fine, really." She smiled ruefully at Ben. "Not all the memories are unhappy ones, I promise."  
"And I understand your grandmother raised you after that?"  
"Yes. Her name was Penny. She was our rock. She took care of all of us for almost twelve years after our mom died, before she died from a stroke. And then . . ." Prue swallowed hard. "Our other sister Piper, her husband Leo, and my first husband, Andy, all died in that big accident near Kenwood Park three years ago, and . . . that's all the unhappiness to tell you about," she declared emphatically, and forced another smile. "Everything else we have to tell you is all happy, I promise."  
"I'm so sorry for your losses, all of them," Ben Matthews said quietly.  
"Thank you."  
"I think your mother and grandmother did an extraordinary job, raising you and your sisters. I remember reading about that sinkhole in the papers. That was horrific."  
"Yes, it was," Prue nodded grimly. "Anyway, if my grandmother knew anything about Paige, or if there were any records kept in our family's house that could have shed some light on this, they're gone now. Phoebe and I were absolutely stunned to find out we had another sister."  
"And how did you find out you were sisters?" Ben asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, what made you decide to find out if you were all related?"  
"Ahh. Well, that part of the story should probably wait until Phoebe and Eudora come back."  
As if on cue, Eudora and Phoebe re-entered the living room, laughing delightedly together over some private joke. Phoebe had a large tea tray with a coffee urn, a small container of cream and several cups and saucers, and Eudora was holding two insulating mats underneath a big plate of chocolate chip cookies and bran muffins.  
"Hey, you guys," Phoebe greeted them, putting the tray down on the low table. "Who wants coffee?"  
"Here, sweetie, please set this down first," Eudora pleaded, handing Phoebe an insulating mat. Phoebe set the mat on the table next to the tray, and carefully shifted the big tray onto it. Then Eudora put down her tray beside it.  
"We also have bananas and apples, if you'd like some fruit," Eudora offered.  
"Wow," Prue smiled at the bounty. "Thank you, Eudora, this is wonderful."  
Conversation halted for a time, as cups, saucers, and plates of muffins and cookies were handed around. Prue sipped her coffee, heavily laden with cream, then closed her eyes, inhaling the smell gratefully.  
"So, I was just about to ask the girls how they knew they were related," Ben said to Eudora, when a semblance of conversation could resume. "And frankly, this is the part of the story I'm having a little trouble believing," he admitted.  
"You're all - witches?" Eudora asked with some incredulity.  
"It's true, Eudora. Paige, Prue and me - we're a coven," Phoebe affirmed, not embarrassed in the least. "We don't ride around on broomsticks, but we do cast spells."  
"I know it's hard to believe, mom," Paige quavered, trying desperately not to cringe with embarrassment. "But rather than tell you, I think it's easier if I just show you. Uh, it is okay if I show them, isn't it?" she asked Prue, and Prue nodded.  
"Show me what, dear?" Eudora asked.  
"Just watch, mom." Paige held out her hand in front of her, and with a little crook of her finger, a chocolate chip cookie floated serenely up off the tray and dropped itself into her palm.  
"Oh, my stars," breathed Eudora Matthews.  
Paige looked anxiously at her foster parents, watching for their reaction.  
A slow grin crossed Phoebe's face.  
"What's the Jack-O'Lantern face for?" Paige demanded, her anxiety giving an edge of anger to her voice.  
"It's all right, sweetie," Phoebe assured her. "They already know."  
Paige was dumbfounded. "They do?"  
"Well, let's just say, this explains a lot," Ben Matthews said, shaking his head, still in slight disbelief.  
"Even when Paige was just a baby, we saw some things we just couldn't ken to," Eudora admitted. "We never told you, sweetheart. Honestly, we weren't sure if we weren't the ones going crazy."  
"Like what?"  
"It started one night, when we had put you in your crib, you were fussy," Eudora said. "I think you had colic, if I remember rightly. But you started crying quite a bit, so I got up to see to you, and -" the woman shook her head, still disbelieving. "There were all these little dancing lights right over your crib, all bright white, and I swear to this day I heard the flutter of wings. After I put the light on, it all vanished, of course."  
"A number of things started moving around by themselves," Ben added. "At first, Eudie and I just thought we weren't paying attention, but soon it became so obvious, we couldn't dismiss it. Binkies, toys, her teddy bear - we'd leave them outside your crib," he nodded to Paige, "And in the morning, there'd they be, all cluttering up your crib as if they had flown there by themselves."  
"That wasn't in this house, was it?" Phoebe asked, glancing around her dubiously.  
"Oh, no. We were still living in San Francisco then. Not too far from the Tenderloin district, actually, but our neighborhood was nice enough. We only retired here to Carmel just over a year ago. But I think the television was the worst."  
"The TV set?"  
"It would switch itself on in the middle of the night, and if you listened closely, I swear you could hear voices - not that you could make out who was speaking, or what was being said. There was no signal at that hour from any TV station we knew of, and we told ourselves we were picking up an echo from a radio station, or a ham radio, or police band, or something."  
"As you got older, those things happened less and less, and Benjamin and I had almost talked ourselves out of believing it," Eudora continued. "We saw it with our own eyes, and couldn't believe it even then."  
"Oh, my God, mom."  
"I'm sorry now I never mentioned it. I suppose we should have. But what were we to do?" she asked pleadingly. "It's not like we could have explained it to you."  
"The nuns at the church had no information to share with us," Ben added. "We've told this part of the story to Paige many times. We spoke to everyone we could find. Nobody knew a thing. There was a couple seen at the church that night Paige was left, but no one had a chance to speak to them before they disappeared. Paige was literally left in a basket, beside the altar, swaddled in a handmade quilt that had her name on it. We still have that quilt to this day."  
"Eudora, would it be all right I see it?" Phoebe asked. "The quilt, I mean."  
"Yes, certainly, dear."  
Prue looked over at Phoebe. "What are you thinking?"  
"I'm thinking, maybe I can find out who Paige's birth father is."  
"Oh, Phoebe, could you?" Paige barely dared hope it.  
"I can try."  
"Then wait right here, dear, I'll fetch it for you," Eudora declared, and got up and left the room.  
"You don't seem to regard witchcraft as a bad thing," Prue said hopefully to Ben.  
The older man smiled. "It's not about the witchcraft," he said quietly. "It's who's doing the crafting."  
"Sorry?"  
"Paige had a troubled childhood. I think it's safe to say that. She gave us more than a few grey hairs." He smiled encouragingly at his adopted daughter. "But she was never a bad kid at heart. Eudie and I did what we could. I always worried it wasn't enough," he added sadly.  
"You never did anything wrong by me, dad," Paige said, her voice breaking.  
"As I think Paige has told you, she fell in with some people who had no good intent in their hearts. In the end, though, she got herself right," Ben's deep baritone grew husky with emotion. "She turned herself away from the evil people she'd fallen in with, and became a fine young woman any parent would be proud of. And to look at her now, with the two of you-" he smiled at Prue and Phoebe. "It's obvious to me you have brought her great joy. Whatever gifts you have, they can't be evil. The devil loves suffering. When I see Paige now, I see her as I always hoped she'd be. Full of life and joy and love. It's wonderful to see."  
Paige got off the couch to hug her foster father tightly.  
Eudora returned to the room.  
"Everything's fine, Eudora," Phoebe assured her, noting the woman's concern. "She's okay."  
Eudora passed the quilt to Phoebe, who took it almost reverently. Eudora sat down, and Paige watched her sister with anxious hopefulness.  
Phoebe closed her eyes, and lifted the delicate cloth to her nose, breathing in deeply. She ran her fingers lightly over the fabric, almost caressing it. And then she paused in mid-motion, frowning slightly as she concentrated.  
"Phoebe?" Paige rasped tearfully.  
Phoebe took in another deep breath, and opened her eyes.  
"Ben, Eudora, with your permission, I'd like to do a little magic of my own," she said softly.  
Ben and Eudora Matthews exchanged glances with each other, and then nodded their assent.  
"What is it, Phoebe?" Prue asked.  
"Everyone, would you please lean forward a little, so we can all join hands," Phoebe asked them, holding out her hands so Prue could take her right hand and Eudora her left. "Make a circle. Hold the hand of whoever is next to you. That's right. Once you've all joined hands, close your eyes."  
One by one, each person in the small living room clasped hands with the person next to them, closing their eyes.  
"I'm going to recite a short spell," Phoebe explained. "It's nothing dangerous."  
Trying to keep her voice from shaking, Phoebe intoned softly, "In this time and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power. With humbled hearts and manners meek, we our ancestors' blessing seek. For the loneliest child within this place, let us look upon her father's face."  
Phoebe closed her own eyes, focusing her own special gift, to allow those in the circle to see all that she could: a young couple, their faces clouded with inexpressible sorrow. An echo of a lost voice could be faintly heard. You will be safe here, my darling. The man was handsome, bearded, but his face was haggard with grief, his eyes reflecting the pain of leaving his only child behind. The weeping woman Prue, Phoebe and Paige all recognized as Patricia Halliwell.  
The image faded.  
Slowly, Phoebe opened her eyes.  
Paige was looking directly at her sister, chin quivering, eyes glistening with tears. Then she fell back into her foster father's arms, sobbing helplessly.  
Phoebe looked first at Eudora, then at Prue, and saw that they too were weeping openly. She touched her own cheek, and was surprised to feel it wet with tears.  
"Do you know him?" Phoebe asked Prue hopefully. Her voice sounded curiously strained.  
Prue shook her head sadly, not trusting herself to speak.  
Phoebe sank back against her chair, feeling suddenly, utterly drained.  
"Eudora?" she asked. "Could I trouble you for some chamomile tea?"

* * 

After the emotional shock of the morning, the afternoon had a semblance of normalcy to it, as the two families compared notes with each other, first over lunch, then dinner. As the day wore on, Paige had sufficiently recovered herself to trade several playful barbs with Phoebe during dinner, and both families delighted to see what a strong bond had already developed between the sisters. By the end of the evening, Prue and Phoebe found themselves more or less adopted by the Matthews family, and feeling the more blessed for it.  
Shortly before it was time to leave, Prue phoned Darryl to tell them they would be arriving later than planned, and Paige took the opportunity to take her foster father aside, and they stepped out onto the back porch.  
"I wanted to tell you something in private," Paige said, closing the porch door, shivering in the cold.  
"What is it, sweetheart?"  
"Just because I've found my birth family, it doesn't mean I don't love you or Mom any less. Or that I won't still need you."  
"I would never believed otherwise, Paige."  
"I know. I just wanted to say it out loud." Paige made a rueful face. "They're my sisters, dad. But when I found them, my whole world just kind of got turned upside down. I have trouble believing I'm a witch, and I'm the one with the witchy powers."  
"Your sisters look like they are more than capable of guiding you with those gifts," Ben observed.  
"Yeah, they will," Paige nodded. "They really do look after me. But . . . it does get a little weird sometimes. And I think I'm going to need you and Mom more than ever now."  
"We'll be here," Ben Matthews assured his adopted daughter, and Paige gratefully slipped into his arms for a long hug.  
The sisters finally clambered wearily into Prue's SUV for the long ride home, after a prolonged farewell-taking with Paige's foster parents. Prue elected to drive on the way back, so that Paige - utterly exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the day - could sleep on the row of passenger seats.  
"We know what your dad looks like now," Phoebe whispered to Paige, as she covered her sister with a thick blanket. "We'll find him, sweetie, I promise we will."  
"I love you," Paige said simply, and Phoebe leaned over to kiss her sister's cheek.  
As Phoebe clambered into the passenger seat across from Prue, she sighed deeply. "I guess I did good, then?"  
Prue smiled at her sister. "Better than good, Phoebe. You were amazing."  
"I have my moments," Phoebe giggled, then suddenly realized how weary she was. "Let's go home now?"  
"Yes," Prue agreed, closing her car door against the bitter cold of the night air. "Let's go home."  
She put the key in the ignition, turned the engine over, and after checking for any traffic, pulled out on the dark and quiet street to begin the long drive back home to San Francisco.


End file.
